Results snapshot:
- Revenue results: Our client experienced an 800% Revenue increase over 16 months with a high return on investment.
- Grew from a small-time operation to become a prime acquisition target for bigger competitors.
Strategic implications: The client shifted to become a media owner and influencer in their field, with a more diverse portfolio of affiliates for their FOREX trading platform – and daily news coverage in the Google News feed.
They now command a premium since we positioned him as a thought leader, whilst spending less on paid advertising thanks to an organic lead-generation system.
Client budget: To grow from $250K/annum to $2M/annum within 16 months, the client spent around $3000/month for on-site content and $3000/month to run a GoogleNews channel which kept him in the daily newsfeed of both investors and traders alike.
Case:
The client is a private wealth management firm that diversified into a forex and crypto trading platform. They had an excellent reputation and required very little in terms of reputation management. They sought to expand and hire 2 more advisors, however the cost per click on Google became prohibitive to my client, since larger financial institutions buy up all the keywords. The client was stuck in a dead-end without a viable plan for growth. Alternative options did not occur to him and we stepped in to help him brainstorm and implement highly successful growth tactics.
Action plan:
a) We started by cutting his dependency on paid advertising on the Google platform. This was replaced with content marketing and thought leadership across multiple digital channels – including Google News and organic search, linked to social follower growth and email marketing. We took time to understand the questions his clients typically asked – and created digital content that aligned to that. Within a short time, the client became a thought leader with a strong online reputation in his field.
b) Next, we fixed his in-house CRM system so that he could be closer to his customers. A series of client questionnaires helped us to streamline his systems in a rather affordable way. This is critical as you need to “fix a leaky bucket” before driving more leads.
c) We started with lead accelleration through podcast series and commentary that was aimed specifically at his target audience. His newsletter subsriber base grew from 800 subscribers to 23000 which has a dramatic impact on his referral rate. He now enjoys a very strong “C2C” or consumer to consumer marketing strategy which is better than any other tactic in the field.
d) My client now has a series of finance guides and industry specific e-books which we distribute as part of the self-funded ecosystem. Other advertisers and e-book purchases pay for their marketing, as opposed to expensive advertising and franchise fees. This is also connected to other business assets as part of a larger integrated marketing plan. We boost this through highly targeted Linkedin campaigns which means that he is able to consolidate his market share on a relatively small budget.
Key enablers:
- The client was open to new suggestions and willing to invest for a good return
- They were open minded to jump onto a new opportunity with Google News
- The client understood his target market, which enabled me to target the right users
- I knew exactly which channels to add to his business in order to raise interest and build his brand
- We did research and expanded his target market from the Middle East into Asia and LATAM at the right time
Project notes:
It is certainly rewarding to see a plan come together. Here we had a client who were a leader in his field but it was a “best kept secret” that needed to be revealed to the right audience. Delivering a fabulous return on investment and helping a small business make their mark in London is a good feeling for any marketing consultant. The finance sector cannot exactly rely on “guerilla marketing” and it is essential to create the sort of marketing ecosystem that resonates well with affluent clients – which is precisely what we achieved in this instance.
Connect with me via Linkedin today to discuss a similar solution for your business.